Multishot vs Strafe
A question often asked is what are the differences between these two skills, and which one should go for.
The answer can only be decided by you but here are some comparisons of the skills.
You can read more about each skill in their individual sections below.

Multishot is available early at Character Level 6. Before sinking more points into Multishot try it out. You can
use items such as the Unique Eye of Etlich Amulet or a +1 to Amazon Skills Amulet, or other +Skills items to
boost Multishot up. You'll have plenty of time to try it out until Character Level 24 when Strafe is available.

Multishot

Only ¾ of the Damage is taken from your weapon.

Good at hitting monsters off screen

Fires more arrows for each additional skill point

Can be use to hit and run since players are not locked while using the skill

It is useful even with just a few skill points

Does not increase damage with more skill points

Mana cost increases with each skill point - can be offset with % Mana Steal Items

Strafe will fire at monsters in all directions rather than just one direction at once

Can put a lot of arrows into a single monster if other monsters are lined up behind it

Increases damage with each skill point

Character is frozen until it is finished Strafing

Magic ArrowRequired Level: 1Prerequisites: None

Far in the ancient past, Amazons found their glorious arboreal city of Tran Athulua under siege
by the pirates of the Twin Seas. These cut-throats were determined to turn the Amazon Islands into
their base of operations. The conflict lasted many months as the pirates laid in for a long siege.
During the battle, supplies ran short, and the Amazon archers found themselves without ammunition.
Realizing that their defense rested solely upon the ability of the archers to keep the corsairs at
bay, the priests of the city prayed to Athulua to aid them. In answer, Athula infused the minds of
the Amazons with the power to harness their natural spiritual energies. One by one the archers
melded their determination and will into shards of physical force that they then unleashed from
their bows by the thousands, firmly routing the corsairs back to sea.

Effect: Creates an arrow composed entirely from Mana. Damage starts at the same
level as a normal arrow and increases with higher levels of training.

Magic Arrow requires no arrows (making more Inventory space). This may be useful if you run out
of arrows.

The stats listed below for mana cost are the true values and does not represent what is shown in-game.

Level

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Mana Cost

1.5

1.3

1.2

1.1

1.0

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

-0.1

-0.2

-0.3

-0.5

-0.6

-0.7

-0.8

Converts X% Physical Damage To Magic Damage

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

+X% To Attack Rating

10

19

28

37

46

55

64

73

82

91

100

109

118

127

136

145

154

163

172

181

Damage +X

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

[ Click to Enlarge - 96 KB ]

Fire ArrowRequired Level: 1Prerequisites: None

Hefaetrus is the Amazonian god of fire and rebirth who lives deep within the great volcano, Mount
Arnazeus, on the island of Philios. Although primarily the patron deity of farmers, from time to
time he bestows his favors upon the warriors of the Islands, so they may keep safe his
congregation. Through proper prayer and the sacrifice of many fierce enemies, an especially
brave Amazon can attain the power to imbue her shots with the destructive power of fire, allowing
her to rake blazing missiles from her bow.

Effect: Enchants an arrow with the additional damage of fire.

Fire Arrow is useful in early parts of the game. Before putting more than one point into
the skill, keep in mind that Exploding Arrow and
Immolation Arrow are available at higher Character Levels.

Level

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Mana Cost

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.5

3.6

3.7

3.8

4

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.5

4.6

4.7

4.8

5

5.1

5.2

5.3

Fire Damage

1-4

3-6

5-8

7-10

9-12

11-14

13-16

15-18

18-21

21-24

24-27

27-30

30-33

33-36

36-39

39-42

45-49

51-56

57-63

63-70

Converts X% Physical Damage
To Elemental Damage

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

17

19

21

23

25

27

29

31

33

35

37

39

41

+X% To Attack Rating

10

19

28

37

46

55

64

73

82

91

100

109

118

127

136

145

154

163

172

181

Fire Arrow Receives Bonuses From

Exploding Arrow: +12% Fire Damage Per Level

[ Click to Enlarge - 86 KB ]

Cold ArrowRequired Level: 6Prerequisites: None

Although winter never seems to find its way to the ever-balmy Amazon Islands, cold climates are
not unheard of. The summit of Mount Karcheus on the island of Philios is covered with snow all
year long. Deep within an icy cave secluded amongst its towering peaks, is the Great Hall of Mirrors
where mighty Karcheus the Watcher sits upon his throne. Ever vigilant, Karcheus keeps watch over the
people of the Amazons. Warriors who have trained within his temple are able to instill their shots
with the power of a freezing wind.

Effect: Enchants an arrow, adding cold damage and slowing your enemy.

This is similar to the Sorceress Ice Bolt spell. Monsters will be chilled when hit with Ice Arrow.
When killed, chilled monsters have the chance of shattering leaving no corpse. This can be handy
when dealing with monsters that raise corpses such as Shaman.

Before focusing more than one point into this skill keep in mind that Ice Arrow and
Freezing Arrow are available at higher Character Levels.

Legend has it that the fabled Amazon archer, Palashia, bragged in her youth that she could
best the combined skills of all her greatest rivals. Taking umbrage, her rivals gathered to
challenge her outrageous boast, arranging a contest to decide the question. To preserve her
honor, Palashia was to strike the targets of all her rivals before they could land a single
arrow. When dawn arose on the day of the contest, Palashia stood ready with her bow. At the
signal, her rivals nocked their arrows and loosed a volley towards their targets. Palashia
gathered her energies, and let fly with her own, single arrow. To the amazement of onlookers,
her arrow split into many, cleaving the arrows of her rivals, and moving on to strike every
target directly in their centers. This mysterious technique quickly became a martial secret
that only the finest archers are able to master.

Effect: Splits one arrow into several.

Only 3/4 of the Damage is taken from your weapon.

You can vary the spread of multiple arrows depending on how far away the mouse pointer is
when you fire. Hold down shift which will allow you to fire in place without moving
after a monster.

Multishot is very useful to use when trying to hit monsters off screen or monsters
that are moving around really quickly.
When combined with % Mana Steal and % Life Steal, Multishot can quickly fill your
Life to full and regain Mana to full. Multishot will only hit a target with one of the many
arrows no matter how many appear to be hitting the monster. Multishot increases in Mana Cost with
more points so you will need to offset this cost with a higher % Mana Steal. Multishot can be combined
with other Arrow Spells. Hit a monster with Freezing Arrow then follow up with Multishot.
Multishot can be a good choice to focus in and is a useful skill on all difficulty levels.
You may not wish to place 20 points into this skill. As more points are placed into Multishot, the cost
of the spell goes up. There is probably an ideal level for your characters, some suggest
6, or less than 10.

You may wish to assign Multishot to your right mouse button. That way if you need to get away, clicking
the left button won't cause you to Multishot rather than move.

Another gift of Hefaetrus, an Amazon warrior practiced in this skill can imbue the arrows that she
fires with the ability to explode upon impact. The resulting detonation not only allows her to
damage her intended target, but also anything caught within the explosive blast. The sight of a
full battalion of Amazon archers firing a volley of such arrows is eerily beautiful. Many
warriors, having witnessed good friends consumed by the flames of these arrows, vow never to
fight against Amazon warriors ever again.

The second of the prizes Karcheus bestows to a true warrior, this skill enables the Amazon to
instill her arrows with the glacial force of a fierce blizzard. Enemies struck by this power
not only feel the icy sting of the enchanted shaft, but also the force of a chilling arctic
wind that, mysteriously, they alone can feel.

An upgrade to Cold Arrow, Ice Arrow is similar to the Sorceress' Ice Blast spell. Ice Arrow will hit
one target and will freeze them in place. In higher difficulty levels the Cold length will be
reduced so consider this before focusing heavily in this skill (more than one point). Freezing
Arrow is a much better replacement at Level 30.

Hunting and fighting during the night and in the deepest darkness is a necessary skill to any
daughter of the Amazon islands. Devoted disciples of Athulua can, with great difficulty and
strict discipline, train themselves to fire their arrows at targets blindly, as if the hand of
Athulua herself guided the arrows. As might be imagined, this is an art that the Sisters of the
Sightless Eye have long envied and yet have never replicated.

Effect: Imbues an arrow with the ability to seek its nearest target.

Guided Arrow is very effective in Player vs Player battles.

Guided Arrow is handy when it is difficult to hit a moving enemy (Sand Leapers) or you want to
hit an enemy around a corner. Keep in mind that Strafe and Multishot can also get the job done.

Players focused in Strafe or Multishot may wish to use this for single monsters or bosses.

Hefaetrus will sometimes bestow this ability to his greatest champions. These fire-instilled arrows
burn with such a fierce intensity that the very earth surrounding where they impact ignites into
flame. Although the fires last but a few moments, some say the effect is as if the pillars of the
mighty kingdom of Hefaetrus were reaching up through the ground to strike down the enemies who
linger nearby.

Effect: Enchants an arrow that does fire damage, and explodes into a patch of fire on the ground. Creatures passing through the flames take additional damage.

This skill is somewhat similar to the Sorceress' Firewall. If you can keep a monster in the same place
(by attacking your Decoy or Valkyrie), you may find this skill to be useful. This might be an option
when facing Stone Skin Unique Monsters as well.

Once a warrior has attained this facility, she can fire a volley of arrows with amazing speed and
precision, striking one target after another. Veteran mercenaries often tell a tale of a new recruit
who was nearly struck down in battle because he was too distracted when first seeing an Amazon use
this ability. Do not doubt his word, as he is probably referring to himself. Just smile and buy him
another tankard of ale.

Effect: Fires a volley of arrows at multiple nearby targets.

Strafe is the skill of choice for many high level Bowazons, although Multishot is also an option.

Strafe will automatically aim and fire at targets on the screen up to the
Strafe limit. As you get more points in Strafe it will hit more monsters at once.

Strafe is good at alerting you to new monsters entering the area. If you start firing at a new direction where
you previously have not been firing at, you will know a monster is over there in that new direction.

Try to lead groups of monsters into a tight pack. You will then be able to take advantage of
Pierce. This will also keep you from switching back and forth in opposite directions which will save time.

Strafe isn't as good against a single monster as large groups of monsters. You may quickly run out of
Mana when using shots against a single monster. Try switching to another skill if you are fighting
single monsters.

Strafe will sometimes fire a little off screen, but Multishot is much better for firing at monsters
off screen.

Strafe works very well with Cold Damage. Find an item that adds Cold Damage to make all your hits
Cold Damage Arrows. This will chill monsters and will also sometimes shatter them preventing monsters
from raising the corpses. Freezing Arrow also works well with Strafe especially in Normal and Nightmare
mode before Cold Length is significantly reduced. You can also set one mouse button to Freeze Arrow and the
other to Strafe (or use Hot Keys). Fire a Freeze Arrow to stop the monsters in their tracks, then follow up
with Strafe to shatter them.

You may wish to assign Strafe to your right mouse button. That way if you need to get away, clicking
the left button won't cause you to Strafe rather than move.

Strafe works with the Paladin's Concentration Aura in the following way:
Damage = Bow_Damage*(1 + Dex_bonus + Concentration_bonus + Strafe_bonus)

There is a rather hidden "Minimum shots" effect in Strafe. What this
means is that Strafe will fire at least this many shots at one monster, but
will fire more up until the Strafe limit if there is more than one monster.
This is very useful in making multiple hits vs. one single monster, but the
downside is that it puts you in Strafe lock more often.

Strafe Lock
While you are Strafing, your character will be locked in place. You will be unable to move
until you are done Strafing. Keep in mind that as you put more points into Strafe and it hits
more targets, the time you are locked will be longer. Hardcore players might wish to avoid placing
too many points into Strafe. For players on Normal mode this is generally not a problem. Be sure
to not fire a Strafe right before trying to run away and you will usually be OK.

The greatest of the powers attained by those dedicated to Karcheus is the skill to imbue their
arrows with the freezing power of a devastating avalanche. Enemies within the impact of a freezing
arrow are frozen in their tracks and feel crushing pain, as if a mass of magical ice had toppled
onto them.

Effect: Enchants an arrow to deliver cold damage that freezes any monsters near the point of impact.

Player vs Player: Other players will be chilled, not frozen.

Freezing Arrow is similar to the Sorceress' Glacial Spike. Freezing arrow can be a bit more powerful however
because in addition to the base arrow damage, it can also work with Pierce and Critical Strike.

Before significantly investing in Freeze Arrow keep in mind that Cold Length Durations are reduced in
Nightmare and Hell. On Hell Difficulty the freeze will last 0.5 seconds. If you fire continually with a fast
bow, you may find, however that this is enough to keep a monster from moving very far.